Latest News

Racecourse Media Group Chairman Roger Lewis extends term until October 2023

Published

2 years ago

November 23, 2022

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Racecourse Media Group (RMG) has announced that its Chairman, Roger Lewis, has extended his post until October 2023 in order to assist RMG transition to a new Chair.

Roger Lewis has been on the RMG Board for over 10 years during which time RMG has increased its licence fees and dividend payments to its racecourses from £45m to over £110m .

He joined the RMG Board in 2012 and was appointed Non-Executive Independent Chairman on January 1, 2019. He was due to step down in 2022 but has been asked by the Board to extend his tenure. A new Chair will be appointed in 2023.

Lewis, said: “RMG is in great shape, and it is an honour to be asked to continue to Chair the company. We have a strong board and an outstanding team of executives, led by CEO, Martin Stevenson, who together have delivered in spectacular fashion for our racecourses and indeed for the sport of racing.

“We are on track to exceed our record results of last year and we pay tribute to everyone in racing, and give thanks to our racecourses, for allowing RMG to manage their media and data rights across the world.”

Under Roger Lewis’s leadership RMG paid £110m to its racecourse shareholders in 2021. Those payments, earned through racecourses’ media and data rights, exceeded pre-Covid levels.

In the same year, RMG agreed British racecourse licence extensions for audio-visual and data rights for a new five-year term until December 31, 2028.

RMG has also been entrusted with significant broadcast rights of Irish racing since 2019, when Racing UK relaunched as Racing TV, with the strapline of “The best of British and Irish racing.”

RMG is 100% owned by its racecourse shareholders and pays 100% of operating profit back to racecourses, which, in turn, benefits the sport. This collective and collaborative approach has enabled RMG’s businesses to become the biggest single funder of British horseracing.

On the back of that approach and with long-term certainty and confidence in the business, media rights and data revenues are, this year, tracking to exceed 2021’s payments to shareholders.

Nevin Truesdale, CEO of Jockey Club Racecourses, chief shareholder in RMG, said: “I would like to pay tribute to Roger Lewis for a very effective and successful stewardship of RMG, a business which is of fundamental importance to the financial performance of racecourses and therefore to the whole sport of horseracing.

“Under Roger’s leadership, we have faced a number of challenges, in particular during the Covid pandemic, where the robustness of the RMG model was critical to maintaining racecourse financial stability in the absence of other revenue streams for a sustained period. Roger’s influence in establishing long-term deals with key commercial betting and broadcast partners during his tenure has also been hugely positive. On behalf of everyone at the Jockey Club, I would like to thank Roger for all he has done for the business.”

Martin Stevenson, CEO of RMG, added: “We are delighted Roger Lewis has agreed to stay on for almost another year. Roger has been instrumental in the development and success of RMG over the last decade and I very much look forward to continuing to work closely with Roger and the Board as we continue to invest and develop our media assets and new products. Innovations, such as enhancements on the channel – headlined by the virtual ‘green screen’ studio – the Watch & Bet product, ultra-low latency pictures, the investment in on-screen timing data graphics, and capturing the in-play opportunities are all key to the business’s continued success.

“These workstreams, allied to growing our social media audience, securing increased ITV coverage and enhancing international exposure and revenues, will contribute to directing more eyeballs on to our racing and therefore will drive betting turnover, subscriptions, and sponsorship opportunities for the sport. RMG is one the most successful sporting and media rights companies in Britain and Ireland and I look forward to working with Roger in 2023 to take RMG to even greater heights.”

Roger Lewis has held senior positions at the BBC, ITV, Classic FM, EMI and Decca and was GCEO of the Welsh Rugby Union and the Millennium Stadium for nine years. He has held and holds a number of senior positions in the cultural sector for the UK and Welsh Governments.

Anna Sainsbury GeoComply’s Co-Founder and CEO

GeoComply announces minority investment in Betting Hero

Published

13 hours ago

June 27, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

geocomply-announces-minority-investment-in-betting-hero

GeoComply Solutions Inc. today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement with FansUnite Entertainment Inc. (“FansUnite”), FansUnite US Inc. (“FansUS”), and Hero Group Corp. (the “Purchaser”) pursuant to which FansUnite has agreed to sell to the Purchaser all of the issued and outstanding shares of FansUS, which owns and operates the Betting Hero business, for an aggregate purchase price of US$37.5 million, subject to ordinary working capital and cash adjustments (the “Transaction”).

Upon completion of the Transaction, the Purchaser will be controlled 60% by Betting ‎Hero’s co-founders, Jai Maw and Jeremy Jakary (the “Betting Hero Co-Founders”), and ‎‎40% by GeoComply. GeoComply’s investment in the Purchaser will support the Betting Hero Co-Founders to operate and grow the Betting Hero business following the sale of the Betting Hero business to the Purchaser.

“Jai and Jeremy have built a tremendous business with a laser-like vision to support their customers’ mission for the best possible user experience through the sign-up process. At GeoComply we share that vision and are delighted, through this intended investment, to help Betting Hero further their efforts and deploy more resources and focus into serving our customers and their patrons throughout North America,” said Anna Sainsbury, GeoComply’s Co-Founder and CEO.

Betting Hero has operated for six years and is now active in more than 20 regulated gaming states. Its Activation business has converted over 500,000 new users to online sportsbook and iGaming operators, nearly all of whom were betting at a casino, arena, or in the Betting Hero bar network. The Betting Hero Research segment shows that new users activated by ‘Heroes’ are 50% more likely to make a successful first-time deposit, compared to the industry average. Betting Hero and GeoComply intend to work in tandem to develop real-time solutions that will make the online sportsbook and iGaming activation process as seamless as ever.

Latest News

MGA Games releases the classic land-based slot game África Zero for the online market

Published

14 hours ago

June 27, 2024

George Miller

mga-games-releases-the-classic-land-based-slot-game-africa-zero-for-the-online-market

Reading Time: < 1 minute

MGA Games, a leading casino game supplier, is reintroducing a classic land-based game, África Zero, to online casinos this summer. África Zero is a traditional mixed slot machine game with three reels and video from the well-known manufacturer R. Franco. The game achieved great success in bars and salons throughout Spain after its release in 2008.

At the time, the original manufacturer R. Franco put all its effort and good work into África Zero. In this adventure game, players immersed themselves in the beautiful and magical African continent as Dr. Livingstone himself. With the idea of providing players with more interaction, entertainment, and fun, MGA Games revives this fruit slot game bringing it online and with a maximum prize of 15.000€.

Among the features of this new version, we must highlight the lower game with its accumulation of bonuses and vertical lines, as well as the upper game, which is accessed if players have enough bonuses and credits. In addition, this new release incorporates a total of 6 mini-games starring friendly animals that are accessed randomly when players get certain prize lines.

This classic game, with its cartoon style and adorable wildlife, which 15 years ago provided hours of fun and prizes, now returns renewed to all online casinos, allowing users to enjoy playing from their mobile phones at any time. África Zero will be available from June 27th at the main online casinos in Portugal.

The post MGA Games releases the classic land-based slot game África Zero for the online market appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Latest News

GiG signs landmark UK sportsbook and iGaming platform deal with iconic British brand, The Football Pools

Published

15 hours ago

June 27, 2024

George Miller

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) has announced a long-term deal to power The Football Pools (The Pools), one of the most established and long standing names in UK Pools betting, for the provision of its revolutionary sportsbook, SportX and iGaming platform CoreX as they migrate to GiG’s pioneering technology to relaunch The Pools online and drive digital performance for the brand.

The signed agreement carries extra significance for GiG, marking the entry of its X-Suite solutions into the UK market for the first time, with GiG having already established a strong foothold in driving growth for its partners in other highly regulated markets around the world.

The multi-award winning tech provider officially launched its suite of powerful new solutions in February this year, as part of a vastly enhanced turnkey suite. SportX has been designed to provide the most complete, integrated sports betting experience on the market, giving a feature-packed product that has been localised to power growth for UK operators. Recent partnerships with BetMakers for HorseRacing and Sportcast for bet-builder combined with a content rich roadmap helps to ensure delivery of one of the most advanced and feature-laden offerings currently available.

The Pools is the new umbrella brand encompassing the original ‘Football Pools’ brand which has operated in the UK for over 100 years, and has proved popular for generations of customers, as one of the earliest examples of pools based, accumulator bets to predict the outcome of professional football matches. This alongside a new suite of sports betting, casino and lotto products will enhance the customer experience, and ability to access a vastly increased number of jackpot prizes for Pools customers.

The combination of GiG’s turnkey solution across sports and casino, and the power of The Pools brand promises to be one of the most exciting and unique offerings on the market. Following a strategic refresh, this deal represents a next-step in the execution of GiGs amazing promise.

Online gaming in the UK offers one of the largest regulated markets around the world, with an estimated revenue of about £11.01 billion (€12.80 billion), second only to the US, according to data supplied by Statista.

Andrew Cochrane, Chief Business Officer at GiG, commented, “I am delighted that The Football Pools, a brand with such heritage in the UK market, have chosen GiG to power their ambitious online growth plans. We have gained a significant headwind with our X-Suite in regulated markets around the world since launch earlier this year, providing a springboard for us to leverage our vast wealth of experience in the UK market, a market we know extremely well, to help power revenue growth. I’m extremely optimistic about the continued success of our strategy to increase our B2B market share in key regulated European markets.”

James Arnold, CEO at The Football Pools added: “I am delighted to be able to announce this transformational partnership with GiG, at such a pivotal moment in the history of both organisations. I firmly believe this will enable us to realise the potential of ‘The Football Pools’ brand heritage, and to aggressively grow The Pools as we embrace the true digital transformation of this iconic British brand. Myself and my team have enormous faith in the ability and expertise of the GiG team, and very much look forward to a successful and mutually beneficial partnership for the years to come.”

The post GiG signs landmark UK sportsbook and iGaming platform deal with iconic British brand, The Football Pools appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.